Contents

Plot

Rookie HeroDaniel Rocka is returning to Hero Factory from a successful mission when Zib relays a distress call on the restricted planet Quatros from the exiled Professor Aldous Witch, who claims to have crashed on the nature reserve. As he is nearby, Rocka offers to aid the civilian but Zib rejects him, planning to send a more experienced team. Rocka tries to argue, but the transmission is broken up by something emitting from Quatros. Determined to save Professor Witch, Rocka travels to Quatros in spite of Zib’s orders. Upon landing, the rookie discovers Witch’s ship (which appears to have crashed several days before) and no sign of Witch himself. A Fangz appears and assaults Rocka, but suddenly retreats for no apparent reason. Curious, Rocka follows it to a large, armored individual, whom Rocka presumes to be Witch. Witch replies he is “half right” and two other Fangz emerge and attack Rocka.

At the Hero Factory, William Furno, Jimi Stringer, Julius Nex, and Dunkan Bulk play a victorious game of Roboball against a larger team of virtual opponents. They are interrupted by an alert and Preston Stormer gathers them in Mission Control. Zib tells them of Rocka’s disappearance on Quatros, and gives the team background on the planet. Quatros is one of the few remaining natural resources of Quaza, the mineral that powers all Heroes. However, mining was stopped when it began to adversely affect the native wildlife; the planet was then designated a nature reserve. Zib explains that Rocka’s last readings showed that Quatros seemed to have somehow changed, apparently for worse. Thus, all five of the present Heroes are given new armor and weapons with animal characteristics and motifs to help them adapt to the jungle environment.

As they depart, Stringer remarks the irony of Furno rescuing Rocka, the “new Furno.” Furno protests, arguing that he possesses far more experience, but Stringer points out that Rocka was made with all of the most recent upgrades and Furno is no longer the star Hero he was when he was new. Stormer interrupts the debate and the team leaves for Quatros.

Upon arriving at the planet, the team immediately notices the planet’s dilapidated state. Bulk’s research finds that Quatros, being a techno-organic planet, has evolved because of the removal of its Quaza, which has had a debilitating effect on its environment. Bulk reasons that given the planet’s new appearance, someone is mining Quaza illegally. Stormer finds that the force field surrounding the planet has been disabled, which is supposedly impossible unless one knows the disarming passwords; Aldous Witch would know the passwords, having worked at Hero Factory before his exile. Stormer explains that Witch once taught at the Factory, but was obsessed with the idea of implanting a Hero Core in himself. When he attempted to do so, Stormer intervened and because of his many years of teaching, Witch was exiled from Makuhero City rather than imprisoned. Furno infers that Witch came to Quatros for another source of Quaza.

Nex picks up Rocka’s signal and the team discovers him severely wounded and unconscious. Nex heals him by transferring some of his own core charge into Rocka’s core. Rocka awakes and tells the team that Witch attacked him, referring to the professor as “Witch Doctor.” Spotting Witch nearby, Furno pursues him, ignoring Stormer’s protests. Furno sprints through the jungle after Witch Doctor, but is duped and knocked down by his quarry. The Hero tries to retaliate, but Witch proves to be too fast and agile to hit. Witch explains the Quaza has enhanced him, claiming superiority over the Heroes and revealing his intention to commandeer the team’s ship and escape the dying planet. Laughing, Witch Doctor vanishes and Nex and Stringer catch up to Furno, whose ego is somewhat deflated by his inability to capture Witch Doctor. The three Heroes are then confronted by Raw-Jaw, Waspix, and Scorpio. Elsewhere, Witch Doctor summons the three animals back to him with his staff. Furno, Stringer, and Nex return to the Hero Craft.

As they return, Rocka showcases his new lion armor and weapon, reveling in his appearance. Furno is reprimanded by Stormer for pursuing Witch Doctor alone. The former lays blame on Rocka, their reason for being on Quatros, who in turn argues that there was a civilian in danger. Furno points out that the “civilian” turned out to be a criminal. Nex interjects that he cannot track Witch Doctor – his signal is constantly shifting. Pinpointing Witch Doctor’s general location, Zib discovers that an ancient Quaza temple was built there and gives the team the coordinates of a path that will lead them to a transporter from the planet’s mining days.

Meanwhile, at the temple, Raw-Jaw hauls Quaza to a blimp. Witch Doctor urges him to move faster and mine all the Quaza. Raw-Jaw begs him not to mine anymore of the mineral, but Witch Doctor hypnotizes the creature with his staff and forces it to keep working. A great tremor rocks the planet as the mining continues.

Elsewhere, the team treks to the transporter, with Furno and Rocka competing with each other along the way. Upon arriving at the device, Nex estimates that because of the mining site’s long inactivity and the possible instability of the tunnels, the transporter could only teleport three of them in one charge and that a recharge could take days. Stormer suggests they split into two teams, the leading of which he assigns to Furno and Rocka as a test of their characters; however, he reminds them that he is the overall Alpha 1 leader. Rocka opts for his team to take the transporter, while Furno resolves to take the challenge of traveling on foot. Rocka, Stormer, and Bulk teleport to the temple, while Furno, Nex, and Stringer head into the jungle.

Arriving at the temple, Rocka leads Bulk and Stormer in an assault on the temple, but they are intercepted by an apparently over-sized Fangz. Hiding beneath a tree root until the beast wanders off, the three realize that the transporter rearranged their molecules incorrectly and as a result they have been shrunk. Reconstituting by reusing the transporter is not an option, so Rocka suggests they perform reconnaissance on the temple. The Fangz returns and discovers them. Bulk and Stormer retreat, while Rocka attempts to engage the creature. Hanging onto its tusk, Rocka allows himself to be thrown off onto a thistle-like plant, while Bulk and Stormer follow by jumping off the Fangz’s back. When the Fangz approaches, the three jump off the bending plant, which snaps back into the beast’s face. Injured, the Fangz retreats. The Heroes then witness Raw-Jaw bringing more Quaza to the blimp, followed by another tremor. Rocka deduces that the quakes are caused by the removal of Quaza. Zib alerts the team to the fact that the sensors show that the mined Quaza is completely gone, and if it is not returned within an hour, Quatros will break apart and dissolve, killing everything and everyone on it.

Meanwhile, Furno’s team continues their journey across the planet to the temple. They halt when they hear a strange noise (Scorpio crawling under the branch they are walking on). Furno flies up in the air to get a better look. He is suddenly attacked by Waspix, who tells the Heroes they are not welcome on Quatros and must leave. Stringer fires his weapon at Waspix, narrowly missing Furno. Waspix flees, with Furno in pursuit. Nex and Stringer are meanwhile attacked by Scorpio, who warns them that they should not have come to Quatros. Waspix retaliates against Furno and the pursuer becomes the pursued. Witch Doctor remotely watches the events progress via his staff, gloating over his certain victory.